Kohli’s team capable of great feats, says Shastri
colombo — India’s chief coach Ravi Shastri believes that the current lot captained by Virat Kohli has achieved way more than some of the teams of yesteryears which had illustrious names in their ranks.
“This Indian team has been with each other for two years and they are much more experienced now. They have already done things that a lot of other Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers, for example, winning a series here in Sri Lanka (in 2015),” Shastri said during a media conference, ahead of the second Test, starting Thursday.
When Kohli’s men won the Test series in Sri Lanka back in 2015, they had won after a gap of 22 years with Mohammed Azharuddin’s team winning a series back in 1993.
Not exactly known to hold back his views, Shastri made a telling statement about teams of the past that had players with experience of two decades not winning a series in the island nation.
“A lot of big (Indian) names have played for 20 years and they have come to Sri Lanka many times but they have never won a series. This team has done that. This team is used to doing things that a lot of other (Indian) teams haven’t done and that too overseas,” the cutthroat former India skipper said.
Shastri’s observation is, however, debatable given that the Indian team under Rahul Dravid beat a full-strength England 1-0 in a 2007 away Test series. Prior to that Sourav Ganguly’s team drew 1-1 in Australia back in 2004 and also drew (1-1) the rubber against Nasser Hussain’s England in 2002. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men won a series (1-0) against New Zealand in 2009 and drew (1-1) against South Africa in 2011.
Under Kohli, India will be doing four tours of South Africa, England and Australia, next year.
“When you say overseas tours like South Africa, England, etc. it is a lot of tough cricket coming up and I see it as an opportunity. I am very positive that this team can do things that probably no other Indian team has done,” the coach insisted. Shastri refused to look too far ahead. —